Master the Art of Hustling in Your Career

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October 8, 2013

If nice guys always finish last, then who finishes first? According to a recent Quora discussion, hustlers do. We’ll take a look at how having a hustler’s mentality in your career can help you finish first, too.

Do You Know What You're Worth?

Hustlers are a dying breed nowadays because many professionals are hung up on the success of others rather than focusing on their own aspirations. Too often you hear people complaining about what they don’t have and how it’s impossible to get where they need to be in life — usually blaming others for their own shortcomings. It’s about time professionals ditched the “oh-woe-is-me” attitude and started mastering the art of hustling, so that they don’t get left in the dust as their friends hustle their way to the top.

One thing is for sure, the type of “hustling” we’re talking about here isn’t the one where a person benefits from others’ weaknesses, as Quora member, Ross Simmonds, entrepreneur and marketer, points out in his response to the aforementioned question. Rather, we’re focusing on the type of hustling that encourages a person to strive to be better on a daily basis through hard work and determination.

According to Simmonds, a hustler (or “outstanding professional”) can be the key to an organization’s success, but many people fall short of attaining “hustler status” because “they begin to make excuses on why they are unable to achieve the goals and dreams they truly want” rather than applying their knowledge and skills to advance themselves.

What does it take to become a hustler in your career, then? Simmonds indicates that individuals need a “combination of aspirations and ambition” and a vision or idea of what they want their “legacy” to look like. Additionally, Simmonds states that people who aspire to be hustlers excel in the following areas:

1. Value hard work – A hustler always gives 100 percent and takes responsibility for failures more than they do successes.

2. Understand “smart work” – “A hustler is a lifelong student of social dynamics and negotiation” and is always looking for ways to work smarter, faster, and more successfully.

3. Love the hustle – A hustler finds great joy and satisfaction in their work and is often obsessed with reaching their career aspirations.

The bottom line is that you become a hustler not by cheating others, but by using your strengths and sheer determination to achieve the impossible in life while never giving up or giving in.

To find out what other Quora members had to say about this topic, read more here.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a hustler’s mentality? If so, how has it helped you excel in your career and life? Share your story on Twitter or in the comments section below.